Lamp shade



May 19, 1925. 1,538,152

H J.YoRK

LAMP SHADE FiledApril 7, 1924 .if n

l /f im?" l Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY J. YORK, UF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LAMP SHADE.

Application filled April 7, 1.924. Serial No. 704,792.

To aZ-Z' 'whom I? may concern.:

Be it` known that I, HENRY J. YORK, a citizen ofthe UnitedV States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented a new and use` ful Improvement .in a. Lamp Shade, of which the following is a specification.

My invention. relates `to improvements in lampv `shades and the like adapted to shield a lighting element and .to` be .illuminated thereby to give a softened light` and to present an attractive and highly ornamental appearance.

The primary object of my invention. is to provide, as` a new article: of manufacture, an improved` lamp sha-de, constructed from thin wooden panels vadapted to be illuminated by a lighting element and to transmit ai subdued light .and in which thel natural woodi grain is caused. toserve for ornamentation.

Another object ifs toprovideV an improved lamp shade utilizing in its. construction pieces of Wood containing knots such as are commonly cut from selected lumber' and wasted, except as perhaps; utilized. for fuel, vthereby affording a means for advantageously using such waste material and providing a device which can: be4 manufactured economically because of the low cost of such material, and because the. knotted grain of the wood'y serves as an ornamentation thereby eliminating the cost of artistic design work.

A still further ohiect` is to provide an ian` proved structurdadapted to, cause a circuilation of air `upwardlythrough the shade to prevent overheating` and possible injury tol the` shade.

A further object. is to provide an improved means for mounting theshade in association with a lighting element to facil-itate the placing and removal of the shade and to facilitate the adjustment ofthe shade 1o display various portions thereof.

l accomplish these and other objects by means of the device disclosed in the drawings forming` ae part of. the present speci-fication wherein like characters of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout said lspecification and drawings and in which,

Fig. l is a side elevation of my improved lamp shade, parts being broken away and shown in; section.

.the lighting.

Fig. 2 is a. plan view of the shade, partly broken away.

F'g. 3 is a detail showing upon a some` what larger scale, the manner in which the top panel is connected to the side panels.

Referring to the drawings my improved lamp shade will be seen to con-sist of a plurality oi?` side panels l having abutting edges connected. together to form a screen adapted to: extend around a lighting element of any suitaliile character, not shown. The lower edges of the side panels l are preferably secured to and reinforced by an inner band 2 and a suitable moulding 3 adapted to strengthen the screen and give a finished appearance thereto.

Afn annular ring -l iswsecured within the screen adjacent. the lower edge thereof, Said ring being lrelld in spaced relation to the inner surfaces of the band 2 by suitable securing elements 6 and adapted to be engaged by suitable supporting. arms 7 mounted in connection with the lighting element whereby the shade may be supported around said lighting element.

fr top pancl 8 is mounted across the top of the screen formed byl the side panels l, said topy panel .8- being held in slidably spaced relation to the upper edges of the side panels l by means of connecting elements f) secured in spa-ced relation tov each other around the top ot the sidepanels wherebyv air passages il areformed between the panels l and the top panel. S.

The panels la are made from sections of wood out transversely tothe grain and preferably from pieces of wood containing knots l2. The sections are cnt extremely thin so that the panelsA are rendered, translucent whereby the sections will be illuminated by element within thev shade and aE subdued lig-ht transmitted through the shade. Thedegree towhich the panels are illuminated varies in accordance with the character and density of the woodv liber. Thus the soft porous portions will` be illuminated to a much higher degree than the harder and more dense portionsof the wood, and will appear proportionally brighter. The knot portions 12ers made up of rings of varying densities which will ybe illuminated to varying degrees diiiilering of course from the less dense body of the panel; In this manner, when the lighting element is illuminated the shade becomes illuminated and the natural grain of the wood appears as a clearly defined pattern delineated upon the shade, by lines of various degrees of brightness.

The top panel 8 is similarly cut from knotted wood adapted to be illuminated as above described. A further variation is obtained by shaping the top panel to obtain regularly arranged thickened portions 14, said thickened portions reducing the degree to which the panel is illuminated and giving an appearance of shadow upon the panel. The thickened portions also lend finish to the top and add to the appearance of the shade. Y

The character of the panels, particularly when formed from resinous woods, is such that overheating is likely to damage the individual panels or even the entire shade. To avoid such overheating, I provide the air passages 11 above described whereby air heated by the lighting element will rise and escape through the top of the shade, thereby setting up a circulation of air upwardly through the shade and in this manner preventing the shadel from becoming heated.

In making the panels 1 and 8 I contemplate the use of wood containing large knots, such as is cut from selected lumber at the mills. The portions of the wood containing such knots are useless as lumber, and as a result vast quantities of such material is used for fuel or is entirely wasted. The material from which my improved shade is made is thus obtainable at an extremely nominal cost. Furthermore, the knotted wood .is particularly desired for the making of my panels for the novelty and attractiveness of the knotted grain of the Wood. As is well known, the graining of the wood in and around the knots is unique and highly attractive, andr adapted to produce an artistic effect requiring no manual treatment other than the ordinary surfacing of the wood. In this manner, I am able to avoid the expense involved in the applying of artistic designs by skilled artists, and as a result my improved lamp shade can be manufactured and sold at a relatively low cost.

Knots of the character mentioned are fre quently marked with checks and cracks 16 forming characteristic markings. rfhese cracks and checks I lill with an opaque filler of any suitable character whereby rsuch markings will be emphasized and add to the uniqueness and attractiveness of the design.

The shade may of course be made in a great variety of designs, the number and arrangement of the side panels 1 being subject to modification in a great number of ways without departing from the spirit of my invention and without altering its character as an article of manufacture.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. As an article of manufacture, a lamp shade comprising a plurality of panels connected together and adapted for mounting around a lighting element, said panels being made from very thin sections of wood cut transversely to a knot, the wood and knot being illuminated to varying degrees throughout the panel in accordance with the density and character of they wood to delineate a design formed by the natural grain of the wood; and an opaque filler applied in checks and cracks occuring in the knot to add to the design.

2. As an article of manufacture, a lamp shade comprising a plurality of side panels connected together and adapted for mounting around a lighting element, said panels being made from very thin sections of wood cut transversely to a knot, the wood and knot being illuminated .to varying degree throughout the panel in accordance with the density and character of the wood to delineate a design formed by the natural grain of said wood; ya top panel mounted across the top of the kshade in slightly spaced relation to the upper edges of the side panels to form an air passage therebetween whereby anmay circulate upwardly through the shade to prevent heating of said shade.

3. As an article of manufacture, alamp shade comprising a plurality of side panels connected together to form a screen adapted to extend around a lighting element; an annular ring mounted within the screen adjacent the lower edge thereof, said ring being held in slightly spaced relation to the side panels whereby theJ screen may be mounted in association with the lighting element; top panel mounted across the top of the screen in slightly spaced relation thereto to form an air passage therebetween whereby air may circulate upwardly through the shade to prev'ent heating thereof, the top and side panels being made from thin sections of wood cut transversely to a knot and adapted to be illuminated to varying degree throughout each panel in accordance with the density and character of the wood to delineate a design formed bythe natural grain thereof when the lighting element is illuminated.

4. As an article of manufacture, a lamp shade comprising a plurality of side panels connected together to form a screen adapted to extend around a lighting element; an annular ring mounted within the screen adjacent the lower edge thereof, said ring being held in spaced relation to the side panels whereby the screen may be mounted in association with the lighting element; a top panel mounted above the top of'the screen, said top panel and the side panels being made from thin sections of wood cut transversely across a knot and adapted to be illuminated to varying degree throughout each panel in accordance with the density and character of the wood to delineate a design formed by the natural grain thereof when the lighting element is illuminated; and a plurality of connecting elements secured between the top panel and the upper 1U edges of the side panels to hold said top panel in spaced relation to the screen, said connecting elements being arranged in spaced relation to form a plurality of air passages adjacent the top of the shade to permit a circulation of air upwardly through the shade and thereby prevent heating of the shade.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

HENRY J. YORK. 

